Washington (AFP)

Elon Musk threatened Saturday to leave California, where his only Tesla electric car production site is located in the United States, because local authorities prevent him from resuming production immediately, due to a pandemic.

"Frankly it is the last straw that overflows the vase. Tesla will immediately move its headquarters and its future projects to Texas / Nevada. And if we were to keep a manufacturing activity in Fremont, it will depend on how we are treated, "said Musk in one of those long diatribes he keeps secret on Twitter. And which are not always followed by effects.

He highlighted Tesla's experience in China, where its manufacturing site reopened after the Covid-19 epidemic was brought under control.

"Tesla knows a lot more about what to do to (resume production) safely, thanks to the experience gained in our Tesla factory in China, than a small interim civil servant, not even elected," said with contempt the whimsical billionaire, who has just had a son with the musician Grimes.

He also said he would "immediately" prosecute the county of Alameda, near San Francisco, where the factory is located, accusing his authorities of being "irrational and out of touch."

"The ignorant and unelected official 'interim health officer' in Alameda county goes against the orders of the governor, the president, our constitutional rights and despite common sense!" Mused further Musk .

He had already hit the headlines on May 1 by dropping Tesla's price by more than 10% on the stock market after tweeting that the stock was too expensive.

Earlier these were his statements during a teleconference with financial analysts who had made waves, already because of the closure of Fremont since March 12. He then judged that the extension of the confinement was "fascist" and "not democratic".

Mr. Musk is not fooling. Yet Tesla managed to post a - modest - but surprise profit of $ 16 million in the 1st quarter, a 33% jump in car deliveries and a turnover up 32% to 5.99 billion dollars.

© 2020 AFP